Meet Claire AH [Best Matchmaker For Ottawa Singles?]

Claire AH is the owner of Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking, an Ontario-based service covering Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Burlington. With packages ranging from $349 to $17,000+ CDN, she offers matchmaking for singles of all demographics including LGBTQ+ clients. Her approach emphasizes personality matching and open-mindedness over rigid criteria. However, she doesn't share photos before introductions, which works for some singles but not others.

Key Insights:

• Claire AH purchased Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking from founder Sofi Papamarko after joining as a matchmaker in 2016
• She previously worked as a sex educator and VP of marketing for a sex education company in Montreal
• Matchmaking packages range from $349 CDN for online matchmaking to $17,000+ for elite services with unlimited matches
• All packages include one year of matchmaking with 1–5+ guaranteed introductions depending on tier
• Higher-tier packages include external recruiting; lower-cost packages draw from her existing database
• Claire AH does not share photos of matches before introductions
• She works with singles of all demographics, including LGBTQ+ clients, across the Greater Toronto Area

Wondering if Claire AH from Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking is the best Ontario matchmaker for you? It makes sense to research any matchmaking service you’re thinking about hiring, especially when you consider the investment of time, trust, and money.

And we’ve made that research a whole lot easier. Our team of experts has reviewed more than 200 matchmakers and their services, diving deep into cost, process, client experiences, and more. 

With over 14 years of first hand matchmaking experience, we’re intimately familiar with what customers value most in a service.

Claire AH is the owner of Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking, an Ontario-based matchmaking service she purchased from founder Sofi Papamarko.

Before entering the matchmaking industry, Claire AH worked in sex education in Montreal, handling marketing and PR for a sex education company and eventually becoming VP. In 2013, she briefly became a client of Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking, an experience she credits with helping her identify what she wanted in a partner.

A health scare at age 28 changed her trajectory.

As she explained to The Cut, “Going through a complicated recovery process with the love and support of my partner truly reframed for me what relationships could be.”

After recovering, she pursued psychology classes with particular interest in navigating romantic relationships when disability is involved. When Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking posted a job opening in 2016, she joined as a matchmaker. When founder Sofi Papamarko decided to focus on other projects, Claire AH bought the business.

As she told The Bed Post Podcast, she describes matchmaking as an unexpected job rather than a weird one—someone who helps clients explore slightly different options than they're used to while building a feedback loop around their dating experiences.

As she puts it: 

“[Your matchmaker is] somebody who’ll help you, expose you to slightly different things than what you’re used to, and will get that feedback loop going with you.” 

It’s no surprise that clients come to Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking with specific criteria in mind for the type of match they want to meet. But AH explained that trying to “order people like a pizza” can backfire. 

In the Bed Post Podcast, she described it as closing doors that you don’t mean to.

“Sometimes they want someone who is very highly educated, but what they mean is that they want somebody who is intellectually curious… it’s all these things that they think of as being short hand for being intellectually matched or matched lifestyle-wise. But maybe there are other meaningful ways to find that.” 

Ah offers dating coaching in addition to matchmaking, helping them identify troublesome patterns and build skills to improve relationships. 

Here is a taste of the dating advice she dishes out to singles from around the web!

Now, let’s take a look at how this Ontario matchmaker approaches the search for compatible singles.

This GTA matchmaking service caters to singles based in Ottawa, Hamilton, Burlington, and Toronto. She takes on clients of all demographics, including those seeking LGBTIQA+ matchmaking.

According to Claire AH, she prefers working with singles who don’t have a strict set of matchmaking requirements. In her words,

“My ideal clients are people who are open-minded enough to not have a rigid type of partner — like having to be 6-foot-2 with a six-figure salary… I look for people who will be enjoyable to work with, open to the process, and open-minded.” 

The process starts with a free screening call to identify if her service is a good fit. If both parties agree to work together, a contract is signed. 

The next step is a questionnaire that digs into what you’re looking for in a match. This includes dietary restrictions (i.e. vegan or vegetarian), lifestyle choices, and other compatibility factors. 

After that step, there will be another conversation with the matchmaker so she can learn even more about you.

Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking prioritizes matching personalities, so AH tries to understand which qualities her clients are attracted to based on things like their celebrity crushes and what they like about their exes.

What you won’t see is a photo of your matches, as Claire AH doesn’t share those as part of her process.

Claire AH offers a range of packages at all price points, from around $149 to $17,000+.

“Online support” services cost $149 to $459, and she charges $100 an hour for dating coaching. 

Her online matchmaking packages start at $349 CDN, with traditional matchmaking packages starting at $750. 

Each one of Claire’s matchmaking packages include a year’s worth of matchmaking and an opportunity to meet at least 1 to 5 singles. Clients also receive a limited amount of dating coaching.

AH’s most elite matchmaking package starts around $17,000 and includes unlimited matches. 

The higher tier membership options also allow for “external” matchmaking, meaning a team will scout for suitable candidates in the area. At the lower cost packages, you’ll be introduced to people from her database.

Want a more in-depth look at Claire AH’s pricing and matchmaking packages? Check out our Friend Of A Friend Matchmaking review next!

Deciding which matchmaking service to invest in ultimately comes down to how you feel about factors like the vibe of your consultation call, year-long contracts, and blind dates.

It’s not uncommon for matchmaking services to withhold photos of potential matches, encouraging their clients to keep an open mind when it comes to meeting someone new. And some singles are fine with that approach. 

But for others, physical attraction is a big component of chemistry. Many singles want to decide who to meet based on all the available information to avoid disappointing blind dates.

If that’s the case for you, you may also want to consider VIDA Select! VIDA takes a modern approach to matchmaking that leverages the single largest source of singles there is, which means you can look forward to dates with matches who check all your boxes. 

You’ll review a full profile, including photos, and be in total control of who you meet.

VIDA also offers the convenience of pay-as-you-go monthly packages, rather than using a long-term contract. On average, clients meet someone special within just 3 months of starting the service.

Intrigued? To find out if VIDA’s approach is right for you, go here to learn more!